Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bukavu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukavu: $679 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Bukavu
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Bukavu Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Bukavu

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bukavu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Bukavu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $679 in Bukavu, rent included.

London $3,986
Bukavu $679

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,102 in Bukavu, rent included.

London $5,791
Bukavu $1,102

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,525 in Bukavu, rent included.

London $7,595
Bukavu $1,525

London costs about 487% more than Bukavu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Bukavu is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$7.31 CDF 16.6K

254.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$14.75 CDF 33.4K

622.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$4.93 CDF 11.2K

117.24%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.90 CDF 8,840

40.26%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.23

$1.52 CDF 3,436

95.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.99 CDF 2,240

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$1.98 CDF 4,476

361.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.05 CDF 6,911

160.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.54 CDF 3,481

20.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.95 CDF 4,423

6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.26 CDF 2,864

92.06%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.39 CDF 9,949

15.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$5.58 CDF 12.6K

130.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.58 CDF 10.4K

127.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$6.11 CDF 13.8K

176.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.94 CDF 8,925

-21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.03 CDF 2,328

35.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.03 CDF 2,326

199.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.21 CDF 2,745

170.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.28 CDF 2,891

23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.98 CDF 4,482

-12.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.98 CDF 6,759

-53.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.02 CDF 4,587

-10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

377.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$14.97 CDF 33.9K

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.05 CDF 4,639

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.06 CDF 4,664

114.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.24 CDF 543

1595.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$14.79 CDF 33.5K

1568.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.98 CDF 9,027

40.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.98 CDF 2,226

242.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$9.83 CDF 22.3K

477.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.72 CDF 3,897

23.84%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.2K £28.6K

$14.8K CDF 33.6M

157.23%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.9K £30.7K

$17.0K CDF 38.5M

140.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$372 £279

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.82 £13.37

$24.74 CDF 56.0K

-27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$34.96 CDF 79.2K

71.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$10.04 CDF 22.7K

112.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,864 £2,149

$74.3 CDF 168.4K

3754.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,217 CDF 2.8M

2802.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$29.92 CDF 67.8K

281.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$45.26 CDF 102.5K

19.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$50.3 CDF 114.0K

146.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$118 CDF 267.0K

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$99.5 CDF 225.3K

2145.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$508 CDF 1.2M

937.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$204 CDF 461.3K

1755.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$984 CDF 2.2M

1762.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$492 CDF 1.1M

1532.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$502 CDF 1.1M

902.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

-60.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bukavu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Bukavu

$99 14.6% 95.5% $2.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Bukavu

$25 * 3.6% 94.3% $406

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Bukavu

$146 21.5% 62.3% $241

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Bukavu

$240 35.3% 31.4% $110

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Bukavu

$25 3.6% 91.4% $261

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bukavu

$110 16.1% 46.6% $96

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Bukavu

$35 * 5.2% 63.4% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 903% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $15.00 in Bukavu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $240 – making Bukavu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇩 Bukavu

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

816,811

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CDF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Bukavu 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Bukavu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

London vs Bukavu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 487%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,019 in Bukavu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 1568% less in Bukavu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $74.3 in Bukavu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bukavu, where all-in costs run around $679, than in London at $3,986. In Bukavu it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bukavu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bukavu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.